Presbytery of Detroit

08/27/2026

- PLEASE SIGN-UP BY THURS. 9/3 IF YOU PLAN TO ATTEND -

Join us on TUESDAY, SEPT. 8 for an Open House from 12:00 to 3:00 pm at the Presbytery of Detroit office
[ 17575 Hubbell St, Detroit, located inside Westminster Presbyterian Church ]

The office of the PoD will host an Open House to honor our Stated Clerk and Co-Leader, Melissa Allison, before she leaves for her next call.

Our staff will be enjoying a Mediterranean Buffet for lunch, and if you would like to join us for lunch between noon and 1:00, please indicate that on the registration form.

You may also choose to stop into the office at your leisure between 12:00 and 3:00 on Tuesday, Sept. 8th, to give your well wishes to our beloved leader of the past several years.

You can register at the link below:
https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/46rFjkM

08/25/2026

Northbrook Church has supported the "Cereal for Summer" program for many years. This year, they got kids in the neighborhood involved by choosing "Cereal for Summer" as their Vacation Bible School mission project. All week long, kids were happy to bring in boxes of cereal to help other kids start their day with a good breakfast. And keeping with the VBS winter theme, the kids filled an entire sleigh with cereal boxes!
Our deepest appreciation goes out to Northbrook and the community of families that helped with this food drive.

08/18/2026

Following up on Melissa’s letter to all of you regarding her decision to accept a call outside the Presbytery of Detroit, we write both to express our gratitude for the work that Melissa has done in and for the Presbytery over the last three years and to share where the Administrative Commission is in its work.

The work that Melissa has done for the Presbytery during her term as Stated Clerk and over the past year as Co-Leader and Stated Clerk has been essential to the future health of the Presbytery of Detroit. In all she has done, from insuring solid, transparent policies for the Presbytery to urging the Presbytery to support restorative justice to our historically marginalized congregations, Melissa has been a great gift to this Presbytery. We urge each of you to extend your gratitude to her.

Prior to Melissa’s decision to accept this new call, and after careful discussion, reflection, and prayer, the Administrative Commission had decided to conclude the search for a Co-Leader of the Presbytery of Detroit without calling a candidate. We did so with gratitude for the thoughtful and deliberate work of the search committee and ask each of you to thank them for their work over the last year.

We know that the news regarding the search will be disappointing to many of you, that many of you are anxious for us to return jurisdiction to the Presbytery, and that these developments seem like a step backward. Deciding to end the search without hiring a candidate was a difficult decision for us as well. With the benefit of the insights gained in the search process, we recognize that the model we asked the search committee to fill may not have been viable, and we are working to discern whether a different mode and staff structure needs to be put in place.

In the short term, the focus of the Administrative Commission is on finding an individual to serve as stated clerk until a longer-term staff structure is in place, to assure that Melissa’s other responsibilities are covered as well as possible, and to support the rest of the Presbytery’s staff. We will be in contact regularly regarding this work, and as we turn to the task of revisiting the best staffing model for the Presbytery.

Despite the concern these events have caused us, since Melissa announced her resignation we have also witnessed a number of individuals in the Presbytery step up to ask what they can do to help. The willingness of individuals within the Presbytery to volunteer to these challenges is the clearest sign we have seen of the Presbytery moving toward a readiness to take authority back to manage its affairs, and we are thankful to God for such progress. We welcome others who are ready to step up, and as always, we welcome your comments, questions, and concerns, which can be sent to us at [email protected].

Our Book of Order reminds us that our polity — our life together — “is not designed to work without trust and love.” We are committed to finding a staffing model, as well as avenues for healing the relationships and culture of the Presbytery of Detroit, that give all of you the opportunity to work together in trust and love.

Elder Jim Wilson, Chair
The Rev. Jeanne Gay
The Honorable Alice McCollum
Elder Robert Sullivan
The Rev. Barry Chance
The Rev. Brian Maguire

08/13/2026

[ CO-LEADER / STATED CLERK STAFFING TRANSITION ]
From the Rev. Dr. Melissa Allison:

Dear Presbytery of Detroit,

It has been a privilege to serve as your Stated Clerk and Co-Leader.

As I have prayed and engaged in discernment with trusted colleagues, friends and family, I have arrived at the difficult decision that it is time for my service as the Presbytery Co-Leader / Stated Clerk to come to an end. My last day will be September 11, 2026.

When I first came to serve as your Stated Clerk in 2023, I described myself as an “insider and outsider” to the Presbytery of Detroit. I knew enough about the presbytery through my service as Moderator of the Commission on Ministry, but I was still an outsider in terms having “history” with the institution, ministries, challenges, joys and graces. I believe this unique position equipped me well for a season of ministry with the presbytery as your Stated Clerk, and then as the Presbytery Co-Leader / Stated Clerk.

It has been an extraordinary privilege to come alongside you as we spoke truth about the hardships, shared joy about the graces, and celebrated the gifts of people, congregations, ministries, and collaborations that make up the Presbytery of Detroit. Building these relationships has meant that I have become more and more of an “insider” with the presbytery. While I have valued these relationships immensely, the deep-seated relational dynamics of the presbytery created significant challenges in establishing a shared co-leadership model.

As I have served over these last three years, I’ve often come back to the words in the Book of Order (G-1.0102) “The polity of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) presupposes the fellowship of women, men, and children united in covenant relationship with one another and with God through Jesus Christ. The organization rests on the fellowship and is not designed to work without trust and love.” We have done incredible work rebuilding structures, staffing models, and policies. Yet, as G-1.0102 reminds us, no organizational chart can replace true trust and love. I have led with transparency and integrity, striving to anchor us in an authentic covenant community.

Building trust and love is not something I expected to happen overnight in the Presbytery of Detroit. The legacy of institutional injustice and the sins of racism infect our communities and hearts at the deepest of levels. Suspicion of leadership and false assumptions without open dialogue sadly continues to sabotage even the most well-intentioned efforts to unite the Presbytery of Detroit in that covenant relationship with one another and with God through Jesus Christ. My hope and prayer is that this new season brings a renewed sense of commitment to discovering the ways in which the Presbytery of Detroit can live out the church’s mission, “in communion with one another, united in relationship of accountability and responsibility, contributing their strengths to the benefits of the whole.” (G-1.0101)

I retain deep hope in the mission of God in Christ that shapes the Presbytery of Detroit. As I step aside, my prayer is that you will courageously take ownership of this adaptive work and truly live into the communion, accountability, and mutual support we are called to.

Peace,

Melissa

07/14/2026

Friends we are having trouble with our email system. Staff are not ignoring you, they just can't send emails (especially to gmail accounts). Thanks for your patience. If you need something immediately please reach out via phone or text.

06/29/2026

Words from the 227th General Assembly Commissioners representing the Presbytery of Detroit. Hear directly from a few of them about their committee experiences, and please hold them in prayer as they meet with the entire assembly this week. You can also follow along daily on the GA livestream:
https://pcusa.org/about-pcusa/church-structure/general-assembly/general-assembly-gathering

Elder Mary Lloyd
Finance & Stewardship Committee
We’ve covered an impressive amount of ground with energy, thoughtful reflection, and a strong sense of spiritual purpose. The work has been thorough and genuinely collaborative. The atmosphere is intense, yet we are operating at a remarkably high level. The leadership team is excellent, and I’m truly impressed by the effective use of technology.

Rev. Charles Sadler II
Constitutional Interpretation Committee
From June 22nd to June 24, I participated on the Constitutional Interpretation Committee. We spent a lot of time debating on CON-10, an overture that sought to add an authoritative interpretation to G-2.0503 to include language that teaching elders in validated ministries engage in monogamous relationships only. Not only was this motion out of order, it was seeking to make a wider ruling on Teaching Elders in a strange part of the Book of Order (about validated ministers which already includes language about their character and conduct).

We did approve CON-2, an overture to direct Presbyterian Life & Witness and A Corporation staff to rewrite employee policies prohibiting the use of Non-Disclosure covenants. This motion is related to the 2025 termination of all mission co-worker positions by the Interim Unified Agency (IUA), now named Presbyterian Life and Witness.I expect this overture to generate a lot of strong emotional debate on the floor of GA.

We disapproved CON-4, an overture seeking to explore the amendments to the constitution that added the language of sexual orientation and gender expression to F-1.0403 (and G-2.0104). We disapproved this overture because GEN-6 and GEN-9 were approved by the Gender and Sexuality Justice, and the Constitutional Interpretation Committee felt that these overtures would respond to the concern of CON-4.

We disapproved CON-7, which was an overture that sought to remove the language in the constitution about mandating medical coverage for installed teaching elders and allowing pastors and congregations to choose if they wanted medical coverage. There are less pastors enrolled in the Board of Pensions healthcare every year, and healthcare costs only continue to rise. So that is why for CON-8, a similarly worded overture, we recommend BOP in consultation with REAC to study and report to GA 228 to provide an equitable, just, and consistent process to permit expanded choice for ministers, and to refer CON-08 to this entity. We did not believe that just eliminating the language that congregations must cover healthcare for their pastor and then saying that pastors and congregations may choose to opt in or out would not solve the challenge of healthcare for smaller churches, which are calling less installed pastors and more supply or temporary pastoral relationships.

Elder Debbie Lennis
General Assembly Operations Committee
My committee, General Assembly Operations, dealt with elections of officers for all sorts of things like the Board of Pensions, Presbyterian Publishing, and PCUSA, A Corporation to name a few. But bigger is the issue of In-Person Assemblies and the location of the 228th General Assembly. Fifty-eight folks debating those two issues was quite the experience and what the greater body eventually decides is yet to be seen. Another task was approving all Synod minutes for 2025, reminding this old clerk of session of our own minute reviews. So far this experience has been interesting and spiritual in its own way!

06/18/2026

The 227th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) convenes June 22 and continues through July 2. During this time, Rev. Dr. Melissa Allison, Rev. Ruthanne Herrington, Rev. Rebeka Fergusson-Lutz, Rev. Charles Sadler, Elder Debbie Lennis, and Elder Mary Lloyd will be engaged in the work of the wider church and may have limited availability. Please extend patience if responses to emails or phone calls are delayed.

Congregations are invited to join Presbyterians across the denomination in worship on Sunday, June 28, the opening weekend of General Assembly. A shared worship resource has been created to help churches pray for and connect with the work of the Assembly, offering a tangible reminder of our life together as a church beyond local congregations. Materials are available through the link below for congregations that wish to participate.

https://pcusa.org/news-storytelling/news/2026/6/9/churches-across-pcusa-can-join-common-worship-resource-during-first-sunday-general-assembly?fbclid=IwY2xjawSg0DBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEexSVEat9hblzIcsz1zp92oRRVx-5d1dZjoF_Dm9dPfVaIbxRnq2viQTZDQSQ_aem_znBIZ6NcC4O4IY7-q8I9JA

LOUISVILLE — On Sunday, June 28, commissioners and advisory delegates to the 227th General Assembly will fan out across Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to worship with congregations at area PC(USA) churches. In past assemblies, those worship forays, arranged by the Committee on Local Arrangements, have been...

06/16/2026

An amazing story of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) using their unique influence to change the course of history for a neighborhood right here in Detroit. 🙌⛪️❤️

06/11/2026

On the Road to General Assembly 2026

The monthly newsletter from the Presbyterian Church (USA) leading up to the 227th General Assembly is titled “On the Road to GA”, which is a fitting name for my preparations. On Sunday, June 21st, I will be letting go of all my normal angst of overpacking and trying to hit that 50-pound checked bag limit (I clocked in at 49 lbs on my most recent vacation). My car will happily accommodate the extra laptop screens, Books of Order (yes, multiple), printed copies of overtures in binders (call me old school), and extra cardigans (I’m a Mr. Rogers Presbyterian) as I hit the open highway for Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

As a member of the Advisory Committee on the Constitution (ACC), I will have the opportunity to be on-site for the committee meetings as commissioners meet over Zoom. Please hold in prayer the commissioners from the Presbytery of Detroit: Rev. Ruthanne Herrington, Elder Debbie Lennis, Rev. Rebeka Fergusson-Lutz, Rev. Charles Sadler, and Elder Mary Lloyd as they spend countless hours each day in front of computer screens at home, meeting via Zoom and engaging in the committee work of the assembly. They will then make the journey to be in-person for worship, Community Day and plenary sessions of the Assembly from June 26th to July 2nd. They will spend time in prayer and discernment, having both voice and vote, as they share and reflect on the wisdom and experience of the wider church on the matters before the assembly.

There is a lot of business before the General Assembly this year. Commissioners will consider overtures on whether or not to return to all in-person assemblies in the future, the impacts of the changes in global mission, access to gender-affirming healthcare, taking a stance against White Christian Nationalism, matters related to the ongoing violence and genocide in Gaza, the proposal of a new confession, discussion regarding the definitions of family (including non-monogamous relationships), and further clarification regarding the ordination process and role of Commissioned (Pastors) Ruling Elders.

You can learn more about the business of the GA by visiting the “MYGA” website: https://myga.pc-biz.org/. Committee and plenary sessions will also be live-streamed. After General Assembly, the “Presbyterian Outlook” will publish bulletin inserts for congregations.

And, as often happens when the General Assembly meets, some topics of discussion may attract national media coverage. Topics will make their rounds across social media, blogs, and church parking lots. The Presbyterian Church (USA) is no stranger to the fact that we the church have diverse ways of approaching, praying for, and deliberating what it means to discern the will of Christ together.

Though we live in an incredibly polarizing time, where it is normalized to lob outrage and opinions on social media, I encourage us to remember that our Presbyterian polity does invite us into a different way of being. A way that one person does not get to make broad and sweeping declarations. A way that encourages listening. A way that invites process and deliberation. A way that, no matter how messy and sometimes confusing it may be, invites the Holy Spirit to keep shaping and reshaping us as the body of Christ.

May this road to General Assembly be one in which we faithfully seek to follow where Jesus leads.

Peace,
Melissa

05/19/2026

LINK TO DOWNLOADABLE "CEREAL FOR SUMMER" FLIER!
https://files.constantcontact.com/51d66d0b101/a5722731-cee6-45c5-bfc6-e801e9913312.pdf

Attention Clergy and Church Staff:
The link above directs you to a full-sized flier about the "Cereal for Summer" Program, running now through September. Please download the PDF and print it out to display in your church to help spread the word.
The flier explains the LOCAL NEED for such a program, and how people can DONATE to the Hunger Ministries Program,. Congregants from across the presbytery can do so much good for their communities simply by donating boxes of cereal. Thank you all for considering taking part in this small act of kindness and generosity.